Missouri State Bears vs Washington State Cougars Prediction, 12/14/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Missouri State Bears vs Washington State Cougars

Date: Saturday, December 14, 2024

Location: Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, WA

TV: ESPN+

The Missouri State Bears (5-4) are hitting the road to Beasley Coliseum on Saturday where they will try to defeat the Washington State Cougars (8-2).

The Missouri State Bears faced off with Indiana State and ended up losing by a score of 80-77 in their last contest. Missouri State walked away from the contest with a 44.8% FG percentage (26 out of 58) and knocked down 8 of their 22 shots from beyond the arc. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Bears buried 17 of their 27 shots for a percentage of 63.0%. In relation to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 33 with 12 of them being offensive. They also dished out 10 assists for the contest while forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and having 11 steals. In reference to the defense, Missouri State allowed 57.1% from the field on 32 of 56 shooting. Indiana State doled out 18 assists and had 4 steals for the contest. Additionally, Indiana State grabbed 30 rebounds (6 offensive, 24 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Indiana State shot 60.0% at the free throw line by burying 6 of 10 tries. They made 10 of their 27 attempts from distance. With respect to personal fouls, the Bears finished with 13 while Indiana State recorded 23 personal fouls.

Dez White is someone who was a major factor for the matchup. He walked away from this one shooting 50.0% from the field and dished out 5 assists. He played 37 mins and pulled down 4 boards. He ended up walking away with 30 points on 9 of 18 shooting.

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Missouri State heads into this game with a record of 5-4 this season. They are averaging 77.0 points per outing (163rd in the nation) while hitting 43.3% from the field. The Bears are connecting on 37.3% on three-point attempts (66 of 177) and 70.0% from the free throw line. As a team, Missouri State is pulling down 37.4 boards per contest and has racked up 109 dimes on the year, which is 327th in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. They are giving up possession 13.4 times per contest and as a group they commit 19.2 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Bears are forcing their opponents into 15.2 turnovers per game and they draw 20.2 fouls. They are currently ranked 141st in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 119 conceded on the season. The Bears defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 45.7% (234 of 512) and they concede 33.8 rebounds per game as a team. They are giving up 32.1% on 3-point shots while they are 257th in college basketball in points per game allowed (74.0).

When they last stepped on the court, the Washington State Cougars took home the win by a final score of 74-69 when they faced Boise State. Regarding how they rebounded, Washington State permitted Boise State to grab 33 in total (10 on the offensive glass). They finished 25.9% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 7 of 27 and walked away from this one shooting 12 out of 20 from the free throw line (60.0%). The Cougars permitted Boise State to make 25 of 66 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 37.9% for the matchup. At the conclusion of this game, the Cougars finished 29 for 57 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 50.9%. In terms of shots from 3-point land, Washington State knocked down 6 out of 22 tries (27.3%). They were able to convert 10 of those for a percentage of 55.6%. Boise State had 15 fouls for this game which took the Cougars to the charity stripe for 18 attempts. They also turned the ball over 13 times, while earning 5 steals for this contest. The Cougars earned 28 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive rebounds for a total of 32 for this contest.

LeJuan Watts ended up being important for the Cougars for the game. He scored 20 points in his 32 minutes on the hardwood and had 6 assists for the contest. He made 6 of 8 in the game giving him a field goal percentage of 75.0%, and had 11 rebounds.

Washington State has a win-loss mark of 8-2 this season. The Cougars commit 20.7 fouls per game and they go 70.3% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 16.8 times per game (48th in the country) and they are turning it over 14.8 times per contest. Washington State has scored 812 points on the season (81.2 per contest) and they pull down 38.4 boards per contest. As an offensive team, the Cougars are shooting 47.6% from the field, which is 80th in college basketball.

The Cougars defensively are ranked 245th in the nation in PPG given up with 73.5. They are forcing 12.5 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 41.7% from the field (129th in the country). The Washington State defense concedes 29.8% on 3-pointers (70 of 235) and their opposition knocks down 68.1% of their foul shots. They allow 11.9 assists and 34.3 boards every game, which has them ranked 106th and 175th in D-1.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Missouri State

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